WARRINGTON Rylands chairman Mark Pye insists there is no animosity between the club and their departed manager Michael Clegg.

And he insists that, despite being in the thick of the race for promotion in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, the club will not rush their search for his successor.

Blues were dealt a hammer blow tonight when it was revealed Clegg had left Gorsey Lane in order to take over at Macclesfield – one of their immediate rivals for a play-off spot.

The Silkmen sit fifth in the table, two places and three points behind Rylands with a game in hand, while they are also in the FA Trophy quarter finals.

However, Pye insists he bears no grudges towards his now former manager despite him only signing a two-year extension to his contract with the club earlier this month and believes Macclesfield’s offer was one Clegg could not afford to turn down.

He also believes the vacant managerial position at his club would be an attractive one for any potential candidate.

“I spoke to Cleggy and it’s what he wants to do,” Pye told the Guardian.

“The kind of money they were putting on the table is the kind of money you can’t really turn down.

“He leaves with our good wishes – he’s got a young family and he’s got a great opportunity there.

“It puts us in a weird position being sat third in the table and losing in our manager, but we think it’s an attractive job for anyone to walk into.

“From a club point of view, we wish him well.

“There’s nothing negative and no bad feelings towards him – it’s obviously a bad time to lose your manager but we wish him well.

“He’s done a great job for us and we’re really proud to have had him at our club.”

In the immediate short-term, senior player Dean Furman will take temporary charge of the team for Saturday’s home match against Gainsborough Trinity.

The former South African international stepped into the interim role alongside Sam Egerton when Jody Banim left the club last year, taking charge of three matches before Clegg was appointed.

And Pye believes their position in the table gives them the luxury of being able to take their time in finding his successor.

“There’s no panic – we’re not in a rush to do anything,” he said.

“We’re obviously not going to get a manager in by Saturday, so Deano will take that game then we’ll see where we are next week.

“We’re in a position where we may not simply rush in and find someone – we’ll have a look and see how it goes.

“If we were fighting relegation, we’d be in a bit more of a rush for someone to come in and settle it down but we’re not.

“We’re in the play-off places, so we’re pretty relaxed about it.”